I. Field of the Disclosure
The technology of the disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for contactless data communication.
II. Background
Portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones and tablets in particular, require data communication between internal circuits. For example, a portable electronic device may include data communication components for transferring data between an application processor and a display within the portable electronic device. It may be desirable for these data communication components to provide high data transfer rates between the application processor and the display at desired power consumption levels. Furthermore, since these data communication components consume space in the portable electronic device, it may also be desirable for the data communication components to have a compact form factor. Additionally, it may be desirable to lower costs and lead times required to manufacture and/or assemble portable electronic devices.
Wireline connectors are one type of data communication component employed in portable electronic devices to support data exchange between application processors and displays. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireline connector 10 configured to transfer data between an application processor 12 and a display 14 of a portable electronic device 16. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the application processor 12 is provided on an application processor board 18. The wireline connector 10 includes a communication socket 20 coupled to the application processor 12 and mounted on the application processor board 18. Additionally, the display 14 and a display controller 22 are provided on a display board 24. The display controller 22 is operably associated with the display 14 to transfer data and/or implement instructions indicated by the data for operation of the display 14. Accordingly, the display board 24 includes a communication socket 26 coupled to the display controller 22 so that the display controller 22 can receive data. The wireline connector 10 allows for data to be communicated between the communication sockets 20, 26, and thus ultimately between the application processor 12, the display controller 22, and the display 14. In FIG. 1, the wireline connector 10 is an F-PCB connector with male ends that are coupled to the communication sockets 20, 26. The wireline connector 10 should facilitate a high data transfer rate for efficient display of data in the portable electronic device 16. However, the wireline connector 10 may be relatively large and consume a significant amount of space within the portable electronic device 16. More specifically, the wireline connector 10 is a relatively large component in relation to the size of the portable electronic device 16. The wireline connector 10 may also require manual assembly, thereby increasing manufacturing costs and assembly lead times.
Recently, various contactless connection techniques have been developed to save device space, reduce manufacturing costs, and improve assembly lead time. These contactless connection techniques include radio frequency (RF) wireless connection techniques and baseband wireless connection techniques.
In this regard, FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a wireless connector 28 that may be utilized in the portable electronic device 16 in FIG. 1 (as opposed to the wireline connector 10) to wirelessly transfer data between the application processor 12 and the display 14 of the portable electronic device 16. In FIG. 2, the wireless connector 28 employs wireless connection techniques such as RF wireless connection techniques or baseband wireless connection techniques. RF wireless connection techniques typically require longer communication ranges than baseband wireless connection techniques, since many RF wireless connection techniques operate using far-field electromagnetic propagation rather than near-field electromagnetic propagation. RF wireless connection techniques may also consume more power and have lower data transfer rate capabilities than baseband wireless connection techniques. High frequency carrier signals used in RF wireless connection techniques may cause high rates of power consumption in power amplification devices. Furthermore, RF wireless connection techniques may be more susceptible to noise and distortion, thereby resulting in lower rates of data transfer. Alternatively, the wireless connector 28 in FIG. 2 may implement baseband wireless connection techniques, which may be capable of Gigabits per second (Gbps) transfer rates, for example. However, conventional baseband wireless inter-chip communication employs techniques such as inductive coupling and/or transmission line coupling, leading to the drawbacks of relatively high power consumptions, low data rates, and very limited communication ranges.